Judge starting to shed rust

Aaron Judge started a fourth straight game Friday night since his return from the disabled list, and he entered still looking to find his rhythm.

In his first three starts back, the Yankees right fielder had gone just 1-for-12 with a walk and three strikeouts.

“It’s just a matter of timing,’’ hitting coach Marcus Thames said prior to the Yankees’ 10-8 win over Baltimore in The Bronx. “That’s the toughest part, but he’s really close.”

Judge followed with two hits and a walk in the victory, including an RBI double in the eighth.

“He played such a complete game,’’ manager Aaron Boone said.

Thames is convinced Judge has recovered enough from the chip fracture in his right wrist that he suffered on July 26 to be effective.

“I was concerned about that, but he’s had check swings and hit balls off the end of the bat, so he’s done everything I need to see,’’ Thames said. “We’re gonna see him be himself pretty soon.’’

For a third straight start with CC Sabathia on the mound, Neil Walker was at third base instead of Miguel Andujar, who was out of the lineup.

Boone initially said there was no correlation to Andujar’s absence during Sabathia’s outings, but conceded it made some sense, since Andujar has struggled defensively.

The last time Andujar started at third behind Sabathia, he made an error that led to unearned run.

“CC is a groundball guy, there’s no question about it,’’ Boone said. “It’s more of a way of keeping guys active and picking a certain day that makes the most sense.”

David Robertson made his 498th appearance as a Yankee, tying Whitey Ford for third-most in franchise history. … Brett Gardner returned to the lineup after not playing in the Red Sox series, and had a walk and a run scored.

The Yankees announced J.A. Happ will start Sunday’s game against Baltimore — keeping him on schedule for the Oct. 3 wildcard game. Boone said the team had an organizational meeting during the week about how to handle the rest of the regular season.